Assessing English L2 reading comprehension in Thai EFL learners: The correlations between literal, interpretative and critical comprehension skills

Abstract

This paper examined the Thai EFL learners’reading comprehension abilities focusing on their literal, interpretative, and critical comprehension skills to investigate their reading achievement, the relationship between their English L2 proficiency and their reading proficiency, and the relationships among their literal, interpretative and critical comprehension. The sample group consisted of 46 fourth-year undergraduate students majoring in English in a Thai university, selected by the purposive sampling technique. The instrument used was the PISA sample reading test and the data were analyzed descriptively by using percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. The results revealed thatthe participants’ overall reading proficiency was at the medium level. When examining their literal, interpretative, and critical comprehension abilities separately, it was found that they had high literal comprehension, medium interpretative comprehension, and low critical comprehension. The results also revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between the participants’ GAP and their test score. The participants who had higher GPA appeared to have higher reading proficiency. Moreover, the participants’ literal, interpretative, and critical comprehension abilities were also highly correlated.The participants who had high literal comprehension ability were likely to have higher interpretative and critical comprehension abilities. The results supported the general assumptions that successful reading requires adequate language proficiency and that literal comprehension skill is the foundation of the interpretative and critical comprehension skills. Keywords: L2 reading comprehension; Thai EFL learners; reading and language proficiency; literal, interpretative, and criticalcomprehension.